top of page

Child Protection 

KCCA helps the children in our community in Lexington, Kentucky by encouraging them to participate in school and help them in spiritual maturity to know how to manage their African culture along with American culture. We support the youth by providing them with services to solve mental problems.  

 

In DR Congo children experience insidious forms of violence, exploitation and abuse. It happens in many areas, and especially in South, North Kivu. Violence against children happens in places where children should be most protected – their homes, schools and communities. The abuse can be physical, emotional or sexual. And in many cases, children suffer at the hands of the people they trust. Children in humanitarian settings are especially vulnerable. During armed conflict, natural disasters and other emergencies, children may be forced to flee their homes, some torn from their families and exposed to exploitation and abuse along the way. They risk injury and death. They may be recruited by armed groups. Especially for girls and women, the threat of gender-based violence soars. Harmful cultural practices pose another grave risk in various parts of the world. Hundreds of thousands of girls have been subjected to child marriage and female genital mutilation – even though both are internationally recognized human rights violations. No matter the circumstance, every child has the right to be protected from violence. KCCA connects children to vital social services and fair justice systems – starting at birth. KCCA provides care to the most vulnerable, including children uprooted by conflict or disaster; victims of child labor or trafficking; and those who live with disabilities or in alternative care. Protecting children means protecting their physical and psychosocial needs to safeguard their futures. 

WhatsApp Image 2025-04-24 at 23.44.51_9705e926.jpg

Students we're sponsoring

Child Nutrition 

Good nutrition is the bedrock of child survival and development. But today, many children in DR Congo are not getting the nutrients they need to survive and thrive. This is especially the case for the most vulnerable children: the youngest, the poorest, the disabled and those trapped by humanitarian crises. At least one in three children under the age of 5 suffers from malnutrition in its most visible forms: undernutrition or overweight. Undernourished children may be affected by stunting, wasting or both. Those affected by stunting are too short for their age, and their brains may never develop to their full cognitive capacity. This hinders their ability to learn as a child, earn as an adult, and participate meaningfully in their communities. Children affected by wasting are dangerously thin for their height. They have weakened immune systems and face an increased risk of disease and death. These children require urgent treatment to survive.  Another form of malnutrition, overweight, heightens a child's risk of obesity and certain diseases. It can also cause children to experience behavioral and emotional problems, like stigmatization, low self-esteem and depression. A less visible form of malnutrition, hidden hunger, occurs when a child becomes deficient in vitamins and other essential micronutrients. Such deficiencies lead to delayed physical growth, a weakened immune system and impaired brain development. Today, many areas in Congo are facing a triple burden of malnutrition – with concurrent problems of undernutrition (both stunting and wasting) overweight, and hidden hunger. As urbanization, poverty, climate change, public health emergencies and other forces bear down on a family's access to healthy diets, the need for essential nutrition services and practices continues to grow.

WhatsApp Image 2025-04-24 at 23.39_edited.jpg
usaid logo.jpg

Our Partners 

NED_LOGO_Color.jpg
ALOE Logo.jpg

Kentucky Congolese Catholic Association is a 501(c)3 organization.

© 2025 by KCCA

Find us: USA

St Peter Claver Church
485 West 4th St. Lexington, KY 40508

Find us: DRC

N 01, AV. 15 Decembre, Q. Rombe 

Uvira/ D.R Congo 

bottom of page